MISMO Honors Annual Award Recipients

DELRAY BEACH, Fla. (January 10, 2023) - MISMO®, the real estate finance industry's standards organization, announced its Annual Award recipients during a ceremony here at its Winter Summit. The MISMO Awards program recognizes the volunteer contributors for their efforts to advance MISMO standards, increase participation, and support the organization. The MISMO Awards program recognizes the volunteer contributors for their efforts to advance MISMO standards, increase participation, and support the organization.  

This year, MISMO commemorated the professional accomplishments of the late John Liston, ASC Online, with a special Shining Star Award. Liston was a long-time MISMO contributor, co-chair of the Decision Modelling Community of Practice, and a fixture at every MISMO Summit. Throughout his professional career, Liston made significant contributions to MISMO, the mortgage industry, and standards that benefit the industry.

MISMO presented its Standards Champion Award to Lizz Smith, USAA. This award recognizes an individual who made substantial contributions towards advancing the MISMO standards.

The Outstanding Contributor award is presented from the MISMO staff to the person or people who stood out over the course of the past year with their contribution to the organization. The leaders of Architecture Workgroup, Information Management Workgroup, and the Residential Standards Governance Committee were recognized with the Outstanding Contributor Award this year due to their leadership guiding the organization to complete and release MISMO’s Version 3.6 Reference Model. The Version 3.6 Reference model was developed to meet the needs of the mortgage industry thanks to the outstanding leadership of Lynn Calahan, Wells Fargo; Colleen Flaxington, Freddie Mac; Bill Klumper, FirstStep Software Systems; Dominic Virgilio, United Wholesale Mortgage; Randy “R2” Poirier, Black Knight, Inc.; and Rusty Emory, PrimeLending. The Version 3.6 Reference Model is the foundation for most MISMO standards today and will shape every new API, dataset, and SMART Doc® in the coming years. The group was recognized for their dedicated focus, collaboration, creativity with driving reviews and approvals within the delicate 3.6 timelines.

MISMO’s Chairman’s Award honors an individual who has made a substantial contribution over an extended period to the advancement of the organization and/or the standards and is selected by the Chairs of each of MISMO’s committees. Mick Smothers, Ernst & Young, was honored. Smothers is a Principal Architect at Ernst and Young, and currently serves as an active member of New Product Incubator and of the Residential Standards Governance Committee, where he has served for the past 7 years. 

MISMO’s work to solve key business challenges is made possible due to lender support of the MISMO Innovation Investment Fee. For information on MISMO and how to join visit MISMO.org.